System for and method of adapting a mobile device having a camera to a reader for electro-optically reading targets

ABSTRACT

A mobile device having a camera is adapted to serve as an electro-optical reader for electro-optically reading targets. The device is received and held in a housing having a rear wall. A top extension extends away from the rear wall at a top region of the device. A fold mirror is mounted on the top extension and is spaced away from a camera lens of the device. The fold mirror is inclined relative the rear wall and is operative for receiving at least a portion of a field of view imaged by the camera from each target along a first direction, and for folding and redirecting the field of view along a second direction generally perpendicular to the rear wall through the camera lens to the camera. A handle having a trigger assembly may be connected to the housing.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

The present disclosure relates generally to a system for, and a methodof, adapting a wireless mobile device, such as a smart phone, which hasa camera, to an electro-optical reader or portable terminal forelectro-optically reading targets, such as bar code symbols.

BACKGROUND

For many years, various businesses have used mobile handheld terminalsor computers with built-in, laser-based or imager-based, electro-opticalreaders, also known as scanners, for reading targets, such as bar codesymbols, in such applications as tracking retail inventory, warehousepicking operations, and many others. These mobile terminals often havegun-like form factors, with a lower handle extending generally upwardlyto an upper barrel that contains a laser-based or imager-based, scanengine that is aimed at a target to be scanned and read. The laser-basedscan engine sweeps a laser beam across the target, and captures returnlaser light reflected or scattered by the scanned target. Theimager-based scan engine captures and processes an image of the scannedtarget. A keyboard and/or a display are usually located on the upperbarrel to allow a user to have ready manual and visual access to theterminal. These mobile terminals frequently include a radio frequencytransceiver operative under at least one version of IEEE 802.11, such asWi-Fi, to transmit data relating to the scanned target to a hostcomputer, or to receive return data or instructions for the user. Thesemobile terminals have historically been manufactured specifically forusers who need their combination of capabilities built into a durable,light-weight, and ergonomically-friendly package.

Recently, wireless communication mobile devices, such as smart phones,cell phones, tablets, personal digital assistants, and like handhelddevices, have become available that include most, if not all, of thecapabilities formerly only available in these mobile terminals. Thesehandheld mobile devices typically have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth transceiversfor radio frequency communication; cameras that can be used to scan andread targets, such as bar code symbols; touch screens and/or keyboardsfor user manual input; speakers for audible feedback to the user; anddisplay screens for visual feedback to the user. Since such mobiledevices, especially phones, for example, are built in much higherquantities than the mobile terminals described above, such phones areless expensive to purchase. As a result, some businesses that havetraditionally used mobile terminals have attempted to use such phonesinstead for reading targets.

However, attempts to replace such purpose-designed mobile terminals withsuch phones have not been wholly satisfactory for a few reasons. Atypical form factor for such a phone is a bar, also known as a slate,having a generally rectangular cuboid or generally flattened, box-likeconfiguration with rounded or angled corners and edges. A generallyrectangular touch screen is mounted at a front side of the phone, and acamera lens is mounted at an opposite rear side of the phone such that afield of view of the built-in camera generally looks outwardly in adirection perpendicular to the rear side. The location of the cameralens at the rear side of the phone, as well as the lack of a dedicatedtrigger switch located in a convenient place for initiating scanning,makes such phones clumsy-to-handle and slow-to-use as bar code symbolscanners. Also, such phones are somewhat delicate for the kinds of harshenvironments in which they are often used.

Some attempts have been made to address these issues by creatingadaptors, also known in the industry as “sleds”. A selected phone isinstalled in a sled, which will partially enclose the phone to protectthe phone from damage. Some of these sleds include a camera-based, scanengine oriented properly for easy scanning. Sometimes, a handle isprovided on the bottom of the sled to provide gun-like ergonomics. Inuse, target data captured by the scan engine in the sled must betransmitted to the phone. This has been accomplished either by aBluetooth transceiver in the sled paired to a Bluetooth transceiver inthe phone, or by an electrical connector mounted on the sled that isplugged into a mating electrical connector on the phone.

The problem with these approaches is that any given sled design onlyworks with a single model of phone. Pairing the phone to the sled forBluetooth communication is time consuming and often confusing, and mustbe done for every phone/sled combination individually. This can be verytime consuming for a user who must roll out large numbers of thesedevices. Different phones have different form factors, different dataconnectors, different electrical connector locations, different datainterface protocols, etc. Furthermore, since phones evolve rapidly, andeach phone model has a relatively short working lifetime, manufacturersof sleds must be continuously creating new sleds if the manufacturersare to satisfy their customers' desire to use the latest model phone. Itcan take a significant portion of the lifetime of a specific phone modelfor a sled manufacturer to respond, thereby making it difficult for thesled manufacturers to recoup their investment in each new sledconfiguration before the phone for which the new sled configuration wasdesigned becomes obsolete. Furthermore, customers may not be willing towait for a specific manufacturer to create a new sled. As a result, asled manufacturer might lose an established customer if the sledmanufacturer cannot respond with a new sled design as fast as acompetitor can.

One solution for the connector problem just described has been to keepthe reader and the phone as separate units, and to pair the separateunits via Bluetooth technology. Although this solution suffers from thetime consuming and confusing pairing drawbacks mentioned above, it doeseliminate the need to deal with rapidly evolving phone form factors,etc., but results in a system that occupies two hands, which can make itdifficult for a user to perform other parts of his or her job. Forexample, a user can put the phone in one pocket while scanning with theremote reader, but then the user cannot see the display or enter data onthe keyboard of the pocketed phone. Or, the user can put the reader inone's pocket while observing the display on the phone, or when manuallyentering data on the phone's touch screen, but then the user cannot scananything without retrieving the reader from one's pocket. This two-piecesystem can allow the user to perform the same functions of traditionalmobile terminals, but at the expense of reduced convenience andefficiency.

Additional issues that afflict both the sled and remote scannersolutions include the fact that since the sled is utilizing theBluetooth transceiver in the phone, the phone cannot pair to a Bluetoothearphone/microphone worn by a user, in applications where voice input orvoice instructions will be used, and the Bluetooth transceiver in thephone also cannot be used to communicate to a host computer or cashregister, as would be convenient in a point-of-sale (POS) application.An additional important issue is that these sleds or remote scanners arefairly expensive. Hence, the combination of phone and a sled/remotereader can approach the cost of a dedicated mobile terminal, therebymaking the phone-based solution less appealing to the end user.

Also since the sled/remote reader includes a transceiver and a scanengine along with a microprocessor to decode targets and control thetransceiver, the sled/remote reader must contain rechargeable batteriesthat need charging every day or two. The user must have a place in hisor her business establishment to set up an array of battery chargers,and if the user forgets to charge the batteries, the sled/remote readercan become useless for a few hours while charging. A further issue isthat if either the phone or the remote reader runs down its batteries inthe middle of a work shift, both must be put aside until the dischargedunit is recharged, to avoid the need to re-pair the reader to anotherphone employing Bluetooth, or to re-pair the phone to another reader,depending on which has consumed its batteries.

Accordingly, there is a need to enable a sled manufacturer to rapidlyrespond to evolving mobile device designs with minimal investment foreach new device that is to be accommodated; to provide an extremelyinexpensive sled; to not use Bluetooth pairing to interface with themobile device so that the Bluetooth transceiver in the mobile device isavailable for other uses and so that the user does not waste timepairing, or re-pairing, the Bluetooth connection, if one unit of thedevice/reader system stops working due to damage or dischargedbatteries; to eliminate banks of battery chargers dedicated to thesled/reader system; to not use electrical connectors to interface thesled with the mobile device; to provide an integrated, single-handedsolution so that a user does not occupy both of his or her hands whilereading targets; to provide ergonomics that are as good as traditionalmobile terminals; to direct the field of view of a camera in a directionthat makes it easy to scan targets; and to provide a convenientmechanical trigger for initiating reading.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer toidentical or functionally similar elements throughout the separateviews, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated inand form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrateembodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explainvarious principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view as seen from above of one embodiment of asystem for adapting a wireless mobile device to a handheldelectro-optical reader in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the system of FIG. 1 as seen from below.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the system of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view as seen from above of another embodiment ofa system for adapting a wireless mobile device to a handheldelectro-optical reader in accordance with the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional of the system of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of the boxed detail of FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view as seen from above of still anotherembodiment of a system for adapting a wireless mobile device to ahandheld electro-optical reader in accordance with the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional of the system of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is an enlarged view of the boxed detail of FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view as seen from above of yet anotherembodiment of a system for adapting a wireless mobile device to anelectro-optical reader in accordance with the present disclosure.

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures areillustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily beendrawn to scale. For example, the dimensions and locations of some of theelements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements tohelp to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

The method and system components have been represented where appropriateby conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only those specificdetails that are pertinent to understanding the embodiments of thepresent invention so as not to obscure the disclosure with details thatwill be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art havingthe benefit of the description herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One aspect of this disclosure relates to a system for adapting awireless mobile device, e.g., a smart phone, a cell phone, a tablet, apersonal digital assistant, or a like handheld device, which has abuilt-in camera, to an electro-optical reader, e.g., a portableterminal, for electro-optically reading targets located in a field ofview of the camera. The system includes a housing having walls boundingan interior in which the device is received and held. One of the wallsis a generally planar rear wall that covers a rear side of the device.The housing also has a top extension extending away from the rear wallat a top region of the device. Preferably, the top extension is integralwith the housing.

An optical element, e.g., a fold mirror, is mounted on the top extensionand is spaced away from a camera lens located at the rear side and thetop region of the device. The optical element is inclined relative therear wall, preferably at an acute angle of inclination relative to therear wall, and is operative for receiving at least a portion of thefield of view imaged by the camera from each target along a firstdirection, and for folding and redirecting the field of view along asecond direction generally perpendicular to the rear wall through thecamera lens to the camera. Advantageously, the optical element is alsospaced away from a flash unit located at the rear side and the topregion of the device, in which case the optical element is operative forreceiving light emitted by the flash unit along a first directiongenerally perpendicular to the rear wall, and for folding andredirecting the emitted light along a second direction different fromthe first direction.

In a preferred embodiment, a handle is connected to the housing andextends away from the rear wall. A trigger assembly is supported by thehandle to initiate reading when manually actuated by the user. In oneconfiguration, the trigger assembly is operative for generating andconveying an optical trigger signal to the camera to initiate reading,in which case the trigger assembly includes a light source for emittingthe optical trigger signal, and an optical train for directing theoptical trigger signal from the light source to and through the cameralens. In another configuration, the trigger assembly is operative forgenerating and conveying an acoustic trigger signal to a microphone onthe device to initiate reading, in which case the trigger assemblyincludes a speaker for emitting the acoustic trigger signal, and a soundchamber for directing the acoustic trigger signal from the speaker tothe microphone.

A method of adapting a wireless mobile device having a camera to anelectro-optical reader for electro-optically reading targets located ina field of view of the camera, is performed by receiving and holding thedevice in a housing having walls bounding an interior, configuring oneof the walls as a generally planar rear wall that covers a rear side ofthe device, extending a top extension away from the rear wall at a topregion of the device, mounting an optical element on the top extensionand spacing the optical element away from a camera lens located at therear side and the top region of the device, and inclining the opticalelement relative the rear wall to receive at least a portion of thefield of view imaged by the camera from each target along a firstdirection, and to fold and redirect the field of view along a seconddirection generally perpendicular to the rear wall through the cameralens to the camera.

Turning now to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 of the drawings, referencenumeral 10 generally identifies a wireless communications mobile device,e.g., a smart phone, having a built-in camera. As illustrated, thedevice 10 is a smart phone marketed by Apple, Inc. as an iPhone(trademark). The form factor for this device 10 is a bar, also known asa slate, having a generally rectangular cuboid or generally flattened,box-like configuration with rounded or angled corners and edges. Agenerally rectangular touch screen 18 is mounted at a front side of thedevice 10. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the device 10 has a camera lens 12for the built-in camera, a noise cancelling microphone 14, and a flashunit 16 located adjacent one another at an opposite rear side and at atop region of the device 10. A similar form factor and component layoutpertains for such devices from other manufacturers. This invention isdirected to adapting this device 10 so that it will serve as anelectro-optical terminal or handheld reader 20 for electro-opticallyreading targets, such as bar code symbols, located in a field of view 22of the camera. Although the device 10 has been illustrated as an iPhone(trademark), this invention is not intended to be limited to thisparticular device, because it will be understood that other smartphones, cell phones, tablets, personal digital assistants, or likehandheld devices could benefit from, and be adapted for use with, thisinvention.

A housing 24, also known as a nest or cradle, has a plurality of wallsbounding an interior in which the device 10 is received through an openfront side of the housing 24. One of the walls is a generally planarrear wall 26 that covers a rear side of the device 10. Side walls 28extend upwardly from the rear wall 26 and peripherally surround and holdthe device 10 within the interior of the housing 24. A top extension 30extends at an acute angle of inclination away from the rear wall 26 at atop region of the device 10 in the vicinity of the camera lens 12,microphone 14, and flash unit 16. Advantageously, the top extension 30is integral with all the walls of the housing 24, and they are allconstituted of a one-piece, molded plastic construction.

An optical element, e.g., a generally planar fold mirror 32, is mountedin the top extension 30 and is spaced away from, and lies under, thecamera lens 12, microphone 14, and flash unit 16. The fold mirror 32 isinclined at an acute angle of inclination relative the rear wall 26 andis operative, as best described below and best shown in FIGS. 5-6, forreceiving at least a portion of the field of view 22 imaged by thecamera from each target along a first generally horizontal direction,and for folding and redirecting the field of view 22 along a secondgenerally vertical direction generally perpendicular to the rear wall 26through the camera lens 12 to the camera, and also for receiving lightemitted by the flash unit 16 along a first generally vertical directiongenerally perpendicular to the rear wall 26, and for folding andredirecting the emitted light along a second generally horizontaldirection different from the first direction.

In use, as shown in FIG. 1, the system 20 is held in a user's hand in agenerally horizontal orientation, and the field of view 22 increases involume in a direction away from the user. This contrasts with thetraditional way of holding the device 10 in a generally verticalorientation to capture an image. As shown in FIG. 3, an image 34 of atarget is displayed on the touch screen 18. The user can now touch theimage 34 to focus, decode and read the target. The displayed image andthe electronic keyboard are readily visually and manually accessible tothe user so that the system of FIGS. 1-3 is ergonomically friendly andconvenient to use. It will be understood that the system 20 has a lowprofile and compact size and may therefore be conveniently and easilyplaced in the user's pocket or purse.

Turning now to the embodiment of FIGS. 4-6 of the drawings, a handle 36is connected to the housing 24 in a gun-like form factor in which thehandle 36 extends downwardly and rearwardly away from the rear wall 26.A trigger assembly including a manually depressable trigger 38 ismounted on the handle 36 to initiate reading when the trigger 38 ismanually depressed by the user. The trigger assembly includes a lightsource, e.g., a light emitting diode (LED) 40, a trigger switch 42, anoptical drive circuit 44, a battery pack 46, a light pipe 48, and amirror 50. When the trigger 38 is depressed, power from the battery pack46 is switched through the switch 42 and the drive circuit 44 toenergize the LED 40 for emitting light, i.e., an optical trigger signal.This emitted light is conducted along the light pipe 48, and reflectedby the mirror 50 into and through the camera lens 12 to be detected bythe camera. This emitted light may be colored, i.e., at a predeterminedfrequency that can be detected by the camera. Once this optical triggersignal has been detected, the camera can now read any target in itsfield of view that has been folded by the fold mirror 32.

Turning now to the embodiment of FIGS. 7-9 of the drawings, the handle36 is again connected to the housing 24 in a gun-like form factor inwhich the handle 36 extends downwardly and rearwardly away from the rearwall 26. The trigger assembly including a manually depressable trigger38 is mounted on the handle 36 to initiate reading when the trigger 38is manually depressed by the user. The trigger assembly includes aspeaker 52, the trigger switch 42, an acoustic drive circuit 54, thebattery pack 46, and a sound chamber 56 having an exit port 58 (see FIG.7). When the trigger 38 is depressed, power from the battery pack 46 isswitched through the switch 42 and the drive circuit 54 to energize thespeaker 52 for emitting sound, i.e., an acoustic trigger signal. Thisemitted sound is conducted along the sound chamber 56, and exits theexit port 58 in the immediate vicinity of the microphone 14 to bedetected by the microphone. This emitted sound may have a predeterminedfrequency that can be detected by the microphone. Once this acoustictrigger signal has been detected, the camera can now read any target inits field of view that has been folded by the fold mirror 32. In anotherembodiment, rather than driving a speaker, the acoustic signal could begenerated by any instrument capable of making sounds, such as a clickerthat produces a clicking sound when the trigger 38 is depressed.

FIG. 10 of the drawings indicates that the system need not be handheldin use, but can also be mounted on a stationary stand 60, which is ofparticular utility in a retail venue or workstation. FIG. 10 alsoillustrates the field of view 22 of the camera, as well as theillumination field 62 of the flash unit 16.

As described above, the lower handle 36 contains all the necessaryelectronics, and the upper housing 24, which holds the device 10, is apassive plastic enclosure. To adapt this system to a specific device 10,a dedicated design of this passive housing 24 is required. The handle 36is the same for any device 10, and is adapted to a specific device 10 byselecting the appropriate passive housing 24 and affixing it to thecommon handle 36. Since only the upper housing 24 must change toaccommodate different devices 10, and since the upper housing 24 canusually be fabricated out of one or two simple injection molded parts,the manufacturer can react very quickly when new devices 10 becomeavailable, or when a customer wants to use a device 10 for which anupper housing 24 did not previously exist. It will not be necessary tocreate new electrical circuit boards, or to obtain new regulatoryapprovals. It will not be necessary to locate and design for newelectrical connectors to plug into the new device 10, or to develop newcommunication protocols between the device 10 and the handleelectronics, or any of the other activities normally associated withdevelopment or modification of an electronic device.

The upper housing 24 is a nest into which the device 10 can beinstalled. This nest surrounds the back and edges of the device 10protecting it from physical abuse. This can include completely coveringthe device 10 to the point of making it waterproof (with a thintransparent overlay over the touch screen 18 and a Gore-Tex membraneover the speaker 52), if desired. The fold mirror 32 enables thedevice's own built-in camera to be used to read bar code symbols,thereby eliminating the need for the additional scan engine used in manyprior art sleds.

In use, scanning must be initiated when the user presses the trigger 38on the handle 36. As described above, in one exemplary embodiment, thedesire to trigger scanning is transmitted by an acoustic trigger signalthat is produced in the handle 36 when the trigger 38 is pressed. Thespeaker 52 that produces this acoustic signal is located on the top ofthe handle 36 in the area where the upper housing 24 (which holds thedevice 10) is attached. The acoustic signal is piped through the soundchamber 56, or through channels molded into the upper housing 24 to oneof the microphone on the device 10. The sound channels can be enclosedon its upper surface by the rear side of the device 10 and on its otherthree surfaces by grooves or channels molded into the upper housing 24.

It is undesirable for a user to hear the acoustic signal. Hence, it canconsist of a tone, a pair of tones, a sequence of tones, etc., all ofwhich are close to the upper frequency range of human hearing. The soundchannels in the upper housing 24 will guide the sound near to whereverthe microphone is located on the device 10 for which it is designed, andso the sound signal need not be very loud. This, plus the fact that thesound signal is of a frequency that is difficult to hear, will make theacoustic signal inaudible to the user. Many devices include a microphoneon the back of the device near the camera, and is used to capture audiowhen using the camera to capture video. If that microphone is used, thesound signal can be piped by channels molded into the upper housing 24directly to that microphone, preventing the sound from escaping, furtherreducing the possibility of the user hearing the sound signal. If thedevice does not have a microphone dedicated to taking video, the soundcan be piped close to whatever microphone the device does have. It isimportant to realize that the piped signal does not need to be coupleddirectly to the microphone, and radiating the sound signal into the airat a place close to the microphone will be sufficient.

In an alternative embodiment, the speaker 52 that generates the acousticsignal can be located in the housing 24 designed for a specific device10, instead of locating the speaker 52 in the handle 36. The speaker 52can be located in the housing 24 close to where the microphone islocated on the specific device for which the housing 24 is designed. Anelectrical connector on the bottom of the housing 24 can mate with anelectrical connector on the top of the handle 36, to conduct the drivesignal to the speaker 52. All housings will have this connector locatedin the same place, regardless of where the speaker 52 is located, and soall housings will be able to plug into the same universal handle 36.Locating the speaker 52 in the housing 24, instead of in the handle 36,adds a bit of cost to the housing 24, but also reduces powerconsumption, since the speaker 52 will be close to the microphone, and,as a result, the speaker 52 does not need to produce as loud an acousticsignal.

It also avoids the need to take into consideration how the soundconduits used to pipe the acoustic signal to the device 10 may impactthe sound volume. For example, conduits of different lengths canresonate at different frequencies, and produce sound nulls at differentplaces, etc., which can impact the volume of sound emitted to themicrophone in the device 10. This can be overcome by proper acousticdesign, but simply moving the speaker 52 close to the microphone 14eliminates the need to take these issues in to account. This willminimize development time of each new housing, which will probably bemore important than saving the cost of mounting the small, inexpensivespeaker 52 in the sled. A simple circuit board can be designed for eachsled, which has the speaker 52 and the connector that mates to thehandle 36 mounted on it in the appropriate places. Circuit boards aresimple, fast and inexpensive to create, and so this solution isperfectly compatible with the goals of this invention.

In yet another exemplary embodiment described above, the desire to beginscanning can be transmitted optically to the device 10 from the handle36. This can be done by locating the LED 40 in the housing 24 where theLED 40, or the light projected by the LED 40, is visible to the camerain the device 10. The LED 40 can be electrically connected to aconnector on the bottom of the housing 24 that mates to the universalhandle 36, just as described for the speaker 52 above. Use of the LED 40has the advantage of totally eliminating any circuitry in the handle 36,except perhaps a resistor or current source to limit battery currentinto the LED 40. When the user presses the trigger 38, the LED 40 isturned on. The image from the camera in the device 10 is continuously orfrequently monitored to detect when a light in the expected portion ofthe field of view 22 and of the expected color becomes visible. Whenthat occurs, the camera begins attempting to decode bar code symbols,until a symbol is decoded, or until the LED 40 turns off. A timercircuit can be included in the handle 36 to turn the LED 40 off after apredetermined time, to keep the handle batteries 46 from beingdischarged if the trigger 38 is held down accidentally for a long time.An alternative solution would be to blink a green LED, for example, whenit is desired to initiate scanning, and to blink a red LED to stopscanning.

The light from this trigger LED 40 must be visible to the camera, butmust not obstruct the camera's view of the symbol, or interfere in anyway with the decoding of the symbol. This can be accomplished bylocating the LED 40, or a target illuminated by the LED 40, or anoptical element that directs light from the LED 40, to a place where itcan be seen by the camera, e.g., in a corner, or near an edge of thecamera's field of view 22, or by using two different color LEDs toenable and disable scanning. The LED 40 can be directly in the field ofview 22, because it is turned off during actual symbol scanning.

The drive electronics for the LED 40 triggering, just described, arevery simple, and the drive electronics for acoustic activation are alsoquite simple. For acoustic activation, the drive electronics can consistof nothing but a simple oscillator circuit to drive the small speaker52. Small speakers, such as those commonly used in earbuds used with aniPod (trademark), are very efficient and can produce sound frequenciesup to the upper limits of human hearing (around 20 kHz). When thetrigger 38 is pressed, power is applied to the oscillator circuit, andthe speaker 52 produces the acoustic signal that is received by themicrophone 14 in the device 10. When the expected acoustic signal isdetected, the device 10 turns on the illumination LED 40 and attempts todecode a symbol if there is one within the camera's field of view 22.The attempt to decode continues as long as the trigger 38 is pressed, oruntil a successful decode occurs. Once a decode occurs, the trigger 38must be released, so that the acoustic signal stops, and then thetrigger 38 is pressed again to restart the acoustic signal, and tore-initiate scanning.

If desired, more complex utilizations of the acoustic signal can beimplemented. For example, there can be a short burst of one frequencywhen the trigger 38 is pressed, and a burst of a different frequencywhen the trigger 38 is released. These two frequencies alert the device10 to start and stop scanning, respectively. The advantage of this isthat since the acoustic signal does not have to be continuouslyproduced, less power is consumed. Another possibility is to include atimer in the handle electronics that will limit how long the acousticsignal is produced to a few seconds, even if the trigger 38 has not beenreleased. This will avoid using up the battery pack 46, even ifsomething accidentally holds the trigger 38 down for an extended time.

Even though it is often desirable to totally avoid any direct electricalconnection to the device 10 (since different devices use differentconnectors), it is possible to send a trigger signal to the device 10through the earphone jack, since that jack includes a contact for amicrophone on some devices 10. The important thing is that theseconnectors are standardized across the vast majority of devices, so thatthe same plug can be used for a large variety of configurations withdifferent devices. The housing 24 designed for each device 10 couldinclude a recess to allow a cable with an earphone plug to be routed toa place near the earphone socket on the particular device. The earphoneconnector will then be plugged in to the device when it is installed inthe housing 24, to enable all the functions discussed above.

Since the electrical circuitry in the handle 36 is so simple, and sincesmall speakers 52 or LEDs 40 are so efficient, power consumption of thehandle electronics will be very low. For example, it is not unreasonableto assume that the total current draw can be around 15 ma or less.Alkaline AA cells have a capacity of around 2800 mAh. Hence, if twoalkaline AA cells 46 are installed in series in the handle 36, they willhave enough capacity to last an entire year with usage as high as over900 scans a day, 365 days a year. Triggering the device 10 via the LED40 visible to the camera can be even more efficient, and could provideas much as three times that battery life. This assumes the trigger 38 ispressed for two seconds for each symbol scanned. However, most decodesare faster than that, and so the batteries 46 will probably last evenlonger. With this much battery capacity, there is no need to userechargeable batteries, which cost more and require a charger. There isalso no need to set aside space to plug in multiple chargers, and toplace the handles while recharging. It is much less labor for a user toreplace batteries once a year than to charge a system that usesrechargeable batteries every few days, as is needed with prior artsolutions. Hence, this system described in this disclosure has a muchlower total cost of ownership than prior art systems.

When using this invention, a software application needs to be loaded onto the device 10. Only two versions of the application (for Android andApple operating systems) need to be created to cover the vast majorityof smart phones. The application will include decode algorithms forsymbol scanning, software to detect the trigger acoustic signal and toreject sounds that do not match the expected acoustic signal if acoustictriggering is used, or software to detect the LED light if LEDtriggering is used. It will also be possible to include features in theapplication to adjust the sensitivity of the microphone 14, in the eventthat different devices have different microphone sensitivities. Theapplication can also include the facility to transmit scanned data overBluetooth or Wi-Fi protocols, to provide for manual data input via atouch keyboard displayed on the touch screen 18, to provide audible andvisual feedback when a symbol is successfully scanned, etc. A handyfeature for some users will be to superimpose a cross-hair pattern overthe real-time camera image 34 displayed on the screen 18, to enablepick-list scanning, or scanning only one specific selected symbol fromseveral that may all be within the camera's field of view 22 at the sametime. Virtually every function traditionally performed by dedicatedmobile terminals can be implemented.

Some users may want additional functions aside from symbol scanning. Forexample, it may be desired to be able to swipe the magnetic stripes oncredit cards. If this is the situation, a magnetic stripe reader can bemounted on the handle 36, and the data can be transmitted to the device10 by an acoustic modem in the handle 36, or by modulating the LEDlight. This will use more power, and so it may require rechargeablebatteries, but it is still far less expensive than other solutions, andfar easier to adapt to a variety of devices. Other possibilities are toinclude additional illumination projected from the front of the handle36 into the camera's field of view 22 to improve scanning performance,or projection of an aiming beam to facilitate pick list modes.

In the foregoing specification, specific embodiments have beendescribed. However, one of ordinary skill in the art appreciates thatvarious modifications and changes can be made without departing from thescope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. Accordingly,the specification and figures are to be regarded in an illustrativerather than a restrictive sense, and all such modifications are intendedto be included within the scope of present teachings.

The benefits, advantages, solutions to problems, and any element(s) thatmay cause any benefit, advantage, or solution to occur or become morepronounced are not to be construed as a critical, required, or essentialfeatures or elements of any or all the claims. The invention is definedsolely by the appended claims including any amendments made during thependency of this application and all equivalents of those claims asissued.

Moreover in this document, relational terms such as first and second,top and bottom, and the like may be used solely to distinguish oneentity or action from another entity or action without necessarilyrequiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between suchentities or actions. The terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “has,”“having,” “includes,” “including,” “contains,” “containing,” or anyother variation thereof, are intended to cover a non-exclusiveinclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus thatcomprises, has, includes, contains a list of elements does not includeonly those elements, but may include other elements not expressly listedor inherent to such process, method, article, or apparatus. An elementproceeded by “comprises . . . a,” “has . . . a,” “includes . . . a,” or“contains . . . a,” does not, without more constraints, preclude theexistence of additional identical elements in the process, method,article, or apparatus that comprises, has, includes, or contains theelement. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unlessexplicitly stated otherwise herein. The terms “substantially,”“essentially,” “approximately,” “about,” or any other version thereof,are defined as being close to as understood by one of ordinary skill inthe art, and in one non-limiting embodiment the term is defined to bewithin 10%, in another embodiment within 5%, in another embodimentwithin 1%, and in another embodiment within 0.5%. The term “coupled” asused herein is defined as connected, although not necessarily directlyand not necessarily mechanically. A device or structure that is“configured” in a certain way is configured in at least that way, butmay also be configured in ways that are not listed.

It will be appreciated that some embodiments may be comprised of one ormore generic or specialized processors (or “processing devices”) such asmicroprocessors, digital signal processors, customized processors, andfield programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and unique stored programinstructions (including both software and firmware) that control the oneor more processors to implement, in conjunction with certainnon-processor circuits, some, most, or all of the functions of themethod and/or apparatus described herein. Alternatively, some or allfunctions could be implemented by a state machine that has no storedprogram instructions, or in one or more application specific integratedcircuits (ASICs), in which each function or some combinations of certainof the functions are implemented as custom logic. Of course, acombination of the two approaches could be used.

Moreover, an embodiment can be implemented as a computer-readablestorage medium having computer readable code stored thereon forprogramming a computer (e.g., comprising a processor) to perform amethod as described and claimed herein. Examples of suchcomputer-readable storage mediums include, but are not limited to, ahard disk, a CD-ROM, an optical storage device, a magnetic storagedevice, a ROM (Read Only Memory), a PROM (Programmable Read OnlyMemory), an EPROM (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), an EEPROM(Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) and a Flashmemory. Further, it is expected that one of ordinary skill,notwithstanding possibly significant effort and many design choicesmotivated by, for example, available time, current technology, andeconomic considerations, when guided by the concepts and principlesdisclosed herein, will be readily capable of generating such softwareinstructions and programs and ICs with minimal experimentation.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader toquickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It issubmitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpretor limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in theforegoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features aregrouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamliningthe disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted asreflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require morefeatures than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as thefollowing claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than allfeatures of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claimsare hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claimstanding on its own as a separately claimed subject matter.

1. A system for adapting a wireless mobile device having a camera to an electro-optical reader for electro-optically reading targets located in a field of view of the camera, comprising: a housing having walls bounding an interior in which the device is received and held, one of the walls being a generally planar rear wall that covers a rear side of the device, and a top extension extending away from the rear wall at a top region of the device; and an optical element mounted on the top extension and spaced away from a camera lens located at the rear side and the top region of the device, the optical element being inclined relative the rear wall and being operative for receiving at least a portion of the field of view imaged by the camera from each target along a first direction, and for folding and redirecting the field of view along a second direction generally perpendicular to the rear wall through the camera lens to the camera.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the housing has an open front side through which the device is received, and side walls extending upwardly from the rear wall; and wherein the top extension is integral with the walls of the housing.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical element is spaced away from a flash unit located at the rear side and the top region of the device, and wherein the optical element is operative for receiving light emitted by the flash unit along a first direction generally perpendicular to the rear wall, and for folding and redirecting the emitted light along a second direction different from the first direction.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein the optical element is a generally planar fold mirror supported by the top extension at an acute angle of inclination relative to the rear wall.
 5. The system of claim 1, and a handle to be held by a user, the handle being connected to the housing and extending away from the rear wall; and a trigger assembly on the handle to initiate reading when manually actuated by the user.
 6. The system of claim 5, wherein the trigger assembly is operative for generating and conveying an optical trigger signal to the camera to initiate reading.
 7. The system of claim 6, wherein the trigger assembly includes a light source for emitting the optical trigger signal, and an optical train for directing the optical trigger signal from the light source to and through the camera lens.
 8. The system of claim 5, wherein the trigger assembly is operative for generating and conveying an acoustic trigger signal to a microphone on the device to initiate reading.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the trigger assembly includes a speaker for emitting the acoustic trigger signal, and a sound chamber for directing the acoustic trigger signal from the speaker to the microphone.
 10. A method of adapting a wireless mobile device having a camera to an electro-optical reader for electro-optically reading targets located in a field of view of the camera, comprising: receiving and holding the device in a housing having walls bounding an interior; configuring one of the walls as a generally planar rear wall that covers a rear side of the device; extending a top extension away from the rear wall at a top region of the device; mounting an optical element on the top extension and spacing the optical element away from a camera lens located at the rear side and the top region of the device; and inclining the optical element relative the rear wall to receive at least a portion of the field of view imaged by the camera from each target along a first direction, and to fold and redirect the field of view along a second direction generally perpendicular to the rear wall through the camera lens to the camera.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the receiving is performed by receiving the device through an open front side of the housing, and configuring the housing with side walls that extend upwardly from the rear wall; and integrating the top extension with the walls of the housing.
 12. The method of claim 10, and spacing the optical element away from a flash unit located at the rear side and the top region of the device, and receiving light emitted by the flash unit by the optical element along a first direction generally perpendicular to the rear wall, and folding and redirecting the emitted light along a second direction different from the first direction.
 13. The method of claim 10, and configuring the optical element as a generally planar fold mirror supported by the top extension at an acute angle of inclination relative to the rear wall.
 14. The method of claim 10, and connecting a handle to be held by a user to the housing, and extending the handle away from the rear wall; and initiating reading when a trigger assembly on the handle is manually actuated by the user.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein the initiating of the reading is performed by generating and conveying an optical trigger signal to the camera.
 16. The method of claim 15, and emitting the optical trigger signal from a light source, and directing the optical trigger signal from the light source to and through the camera lens.
 17. The method of claim 14, wherein the initiating of the reading is performed by generating and conveying an acoustic trigger signal to a microphone on the device.
 18. The method of claim 17, and emitting the acoustic trigger signal from a speaker, and directing the acoustic trigger signal from the speaker to the microphone. 